2.6 Portfolio Templates Tool Help

Portfolio Templates Overview

A portfolio template defines the layout, style, and content of all portfolios that are based on it. If you are a CIG Coordinator (a site organizer or other user with permission), you can create templates that support the intended purpose(s) of portfolios on your site. You might create one template to support resumes or other forms of self-presentation. You might create another for displaying the results of a teaching and learning process collected by matrices for general education or co-curricular progress. Or you might create a portfolio template that is tailored for an assessment and accreditation portfolio, such as those that integrate learning across many sites to show learning in relation to institutional values or desired outcomes.

Site participants are not required to use templates for their portfolios. If the institutional implementation of Sakai permits, they may also design their own portfolios using portfolio layouts and styles.

Portfolio templates are best used when the CIG Coordinator wishes to guide site participants in specific ways rather then allowing them to create portfolios according to their own ideas and specifications. The most effective way to work with portfolios is to first use a portfolio template to guide and instruct participants in creating effective portfolios; then at a later time, direct participants to design their own with a variety of portfolio layouts and styles that allow them more freedom in putting their own creativity into portfolios for similar or different purposes.

Each portfolio template is based on an .xsl file. This file specifies the layout for the portfolio, the pathways to the content for the portfolio, and, optionally, the pathway to a .css file that defines the portfolio style.

Optionally, a template can also include an "outline options" or "portfolio properties" form, which is now called Required Settings in the workflow for users who create portfolios. These options or settings allow participants to add content to their portfolios by keying or copying and pasting text directly into it. Required settings (or outline options) are often used when it is easier or more intuitive for participants to add content directly rather than creating each distinct item as a form in Resources. Required settings can be used to prompt for and collect information such as a site participant's name, a date, a title, and subtitle for the portfolio, captions for images, and/or one or more reflections. They are also used when the participant needs to specify a particular level of a matrix to include in a portfolio.

Required settings (outline options) are presented to the participant in separate screen during the process of creating a portfolio. The CIG Coordinator defines the fields on the screen (which is, essentially, a form) by adding an .xsd file for it to the portfolio template.

The Portfolio Templates tool is usually located in the Design & Publish category of a portfolio site.

To access the tool, click the Launch button for Portfolio Templates. Sakai displays the Portfolio Templates home page.

The screen contains a list of the portfolio templates on your site. If the list is longer than one page, use the buttons under the Portfolio Templates menu bar to display other pages in the list.

• To display the first page of the list, click First.
• To display the previous page of the list, click Previous.
• To display the next page of the list, click Next.
• To display the last page of the list, click Last.
  

Resources Tool

The Portfolio Templates tool allows CIG Coordinators to add templates that define the content, style, and layout of portfolios to be created by site participants. Each template is based on an .xsl file and may include other files, such as .css, .xsd, and javascript files. These files must be uploaded to Resources to make them available to the Portfolio Templates tool. If there is a chance that other CIG Coordinators or administrators will need to edit your portfolio template at a later date, it is recommended that you store the files for the template in a publicly viewable folder in the Portfolio Admin Resources folder. Alternatively, to prevent others from accessing the files for your template, you may store them in your My Workspace Resources folder or in a hidden folder in the portfolio site in which they will be used. See information on "Publishing a Template" below for more information.

After adding a template, the CIG Coordinator may use the Portfolio Templates tool to perform any of the following activities.

• Change and delete files that make up a portfolio template.
• Create a new template by changing the files and using them to create another portfolio template.
• Use a template created in one site in another site by exporting it as a zip file from the first site, uploading the zip file to Resources, and importing it into the Portfolio Templates tool in the second site.

Preparing to Create a Template

Before creating a portfolio template in Sakai, consider the following questions and suggestions.

• What are the objectives of the type(s) of portfolios that will be based on this template?
• What content must be included in participant portfolios to achieve these objectives?
• In what order should participant content be presented?
• Does your institution have existing portfolio templates that you might use or modify for your purpose(s)? Do any available portfolio templates at Open Ed Practices suit your purposes? If so, begin with an existing template and modify it as needed.
• If no suitable template exists, are you able to write an .xsl file for a portfolio template from scratch? If so, upload the appropriate file to Resources.
• Otherwise, follow the instructions beginning at http://confluence.sakaiproject.org/display/OSPDOC/Portfolio+Templates and continuing onto subsequent linked pages to create a portfolio template. You will begin a passthrough template, which is provided along with the instructions.
• Do users need to enter additional information such as a portfolio title and subtitle and/or captions for images? Do they need to select a single level of a matrix to include in the portfolio? If so, create an "outline options" .xsd file to allow users to provide this information via Required Settings, upload it to Resources, and make note of its root node.
• If your institution has a default "style" that includes a standard set of fonts, colors, or if your institution has created other styles, which style is best suited for portfolios built on this template? Upload the appropriate .css file to Resources and make note of its name.
• What other files do you need to use in this portfolio template? You may include image, sound, video, javascript, and other types of files to enhance participant display of information in the portfolio. Upload the appropriate files to Resources and make note of the name for each file.
  

Creating a Portfolio Template

Once you have assembled the needed .xsl, .xsd, .css, and related files, creating a portfolio template in the Portfolio Templates tool involves the following steps:

1. Provide a name and description.
2. Specify the layout and optional outline options (Required Settings).
3. List user content for the portfolio.
4. Select supporting files for the template.
   

Step 1: Provide a name and description.

To give the template a name and description, access the Portfolios Templates tool and follow these steps:

1. If the Portfolio Templates home page is not displayed, click the Reset button.
2. In the Portfolio Templates menu bar near the top of the screen, click the Add button. Sakai displays the Add Portfolio Template, Step 1 of 4, screen.
3. Enter a name for this layout in the Name box.
4. If desired, enter a helpful description in the Description box for participants to use in selecting this template. This is especially useful if participants will have several options from which to choose.
5. Under Show within Portfolio Navigation, specify whether portfolios based on this template will display in the window from which they are accessed or in a new window. It is recommended that you choose No to display the portfolio in a new window.

   Option	Result
   Yes	Portfolios based on this template will display in the window from which they are accessed.
   No	Portfolios based on this template will display in a new browser window.

6. To proceed, click Continue. Sakai displays the Build Template, Step 2 of 4, screen (see below). Or, to return to the Portfolio Templates home page without adding any of this information, click Cancel.
   
   

Step 2: Specify the layout and optional outline options (required settings).

If you clicked Continue in step 6, above, Sakai displays the Build Template, Step 2 of 4, screen.

To specify the layout for this template, follow these steps:

1. To the right of the Basic Template Outline box, click the Select File link. Sakai displays the Add Attachment screen.
2. Select the .xsl file you need. To select the file from Resources or from another location, follow the instructions for selecting an item. (If you do not have a specific .xsl file for the portfolio template, follow the steps for creating one at http://confluence.sakaiproject.org/display/OSPDOC/Portfolio+Templates and subsequent pages; then upload the resulting file to Resources.)
3. After you click Finish, Sakai displays the Build Template, Step 2 of 4, screen again. The name of the file you selected is shown in the Basic Template Outline box.
4. Optionally, provide outline options (required settings) using the drop down menu for Outline Options Form Type to choose the desired form. (This form must have already been created in the Forms tool in the site or globally in Portfolio Admin.)
5. After you click Finish, Sakai displays the Build Template, Step 2 of 4, screen again. The name of the form you selected is shown in the Outline Options box.
6. Choose one of the following options:

• To continue to build the template, click Continue. Sakai displays the List Content, Step 3 of 4, screen.
• To stop working on this template and save the work you have done so far, click Finish. Sakai displays the Portfolio Templates home page. Your new template is listed on this screen. You may continue to work on the template at any time.
• To return to the Add Portfolio Template, step 1 of 4, screen, click Back.
• To exit without saving any of the information you have entered in this template creation session, click Cancel. Sakai displays the Portfolio Templates home page.
  

Step 3: List user content for the portfolio.

If you chose to continue in step 7, above, Sakai displays the List Content, Step 3 of 4, screen.

This screen allows you to identify the forms, matrices, wizards, and uploaded files for portfolios that use this template. To select this material, follow these steps:
1. In the Type box, use the pulldown list to select the type of item the site participant can or must add. A selection here is required. The list contains the names of all forms on the site, along with choice of Matrix, Completed Wizard, and Uploaded File. If site participants can or must:

• complete and attach a specific form, select the name of that form here.
• attach a matrix, select Matrix.
• attach a wizard, select Completed Wizard.
• attach any other type of resource (simple text, URL, file, etc.) select Uploaded file.

2. Referring to the table below, enter an appropriate name in the Name box. This entry is required. If you are following the steps at http://confluence.sakaiproject.org/display/OSPDOC/Portfolio+Templates, you will begin the process with a passthrough.xsl file.

3. Enter a descriptive name for the item in the Title box. This entry is required as well.
4. In the Description box, enter instructions to site participants on how to select an item, if desired. These instructions display to site participants when they use the template to create a portfolio.
5. Under "Allow Multiple Selection," choose one of these options:

• If the creators of these portfolios may include more than one instance of this information (as is the case for accomplishments, job experience, and other things that occur more than once), click Yes.
• Otherwise, click No.

6. Click Add to List. Sakai displays information about this item in the bottom part of the screen.
7. To add another item to the template, repeat steps 1-6.
8. To reorder items so they are displayed to the portfolio creator in a different order, change the numbers in the Sequence boxes. (This change will not affect the sequence of the items in the final portfolio. The order of items in the portfolio is determined by the .xsl file you selected in Step 2 above.)
9. To edit an item you have added, click the Edit link below its name and make changes as needed. For more information, see instructions in steps 1-6.
10. To delete an item you have added, click the Delete link below its name. Sakai deletes the item immediately. Caution: Be sure you want to delete an item before clicking Delete. Sakai does not display a delete verification window before deleting the item.
11. After adding as many items as you wish, choose one of the following options:

• To continue to create the template, click Continue. Sakai displays the Select Supporting Files, Step 4 of 4, screen.
• To stop working on this template and save the work you have done so far, click Finish. Sakai displays the Portfolio Templates home page. This template is listed on the screen. You may work on this template further at any time.
• To return to the Build Template, Step 2 of 4, screen, click Back.
• To exit without saving any of the information you have entered in this template creation session, click Cancel. Sakai displays the Portfolio Templates home page.
  

Step 4: Select supporting files for the template.

If you chose to continue in step 11, above, Sakai displays the Select Supporting Files, Step 4 of 4, screen:

This screen allows you to identify any additional files that are to be used in this template. These files may include .css files (style sheets) and image, sound, video, javascript, and other files that define the look and feel, navigation, graphics, and other features of the portfolio template.

To select this material, follow these steps:

1. In the Name (used in xpath) box, enter the name for this file that is used in the .xsl file you chose in "Step 2: Specifying the Layout". If the template is based on passthrough.xsl, enter any one-word name by which you want the final .xsl file to identify this file. An entry in this box is required.
2. To the right of the Choose File box, click the Select File link. (An entry in this box is required.) Sakai displays the Select Item screen.
3. Select the file you need. To do so, follow the instructions for selecting an item. After you click Finish, Sakai displays the Select Supporting Files, Step 4 of 4, screen again.
4. Click Add to List. Sakai displays the file name in the bottom part of the screen. You must remember to click Add to List in order to save the file as part of your template.
5. To add another supporting file to the template, repeat steps 1-4.
6. To edit a file you have added, click the Edit link below its name and make changes as needed. For more information, see instructions in steps 1-4.
7. To delete a file you have added, click the Delete link below its name. Sakai deletes the item immediately. Caution Be sure you want to delete a file before clicking Delete. Sakai does not display a delete verification window before deleting the file.
8. Choose one of the following options:

• To save your work, click Finish. Sakai displays the Portfolio Templates home page. This template is listed on the screen. You may work on this template further at any time.
• To return to the List Content, Step 3 of 4, screen, click Back.
• To exit without saving any of the information you have entered in this template creation session, click Cancel. Sakai displays the Portfolio Templates home page.
  

Step 5: Finishing up When Using passthrough.xsl

If you have based your template on passthrough.xsl, follow these final steps:

1. Use the Portfolios tool to create a portfolio based on this template.
2. Display the portfolio.
3. Display the XML file that the system will use to generate the final HTML file by right-clicking anywhere on the portfolio display and selecting View Page Source.
4. Use any XSLT creator program to create an .xsl transformation file.
5. Using the Portfolio Templates tool, replace passthrough.xsl with the .xsl file you have created.

Publishing a Template

If you are a system administrator, be advised that any template that you create and publish in the Portfolio Admin site automatically becomes available to all sites on your Sakai instance.

After you have created a template, you may use it to create your own portfolio. However, the template is not yet available for use by others. To make the template available for other site participants to use, you must publish it.

To do so, access the Portfolio Templates tool and follow these steps:

1. If the Portfolio Templates home page is not displayed, click the Reset button.
2. Find the template you want to publish and click the Publish link below its name. Sakai publishes the template.

Changing a Template

You may revise the title and description for a portfolio template. You may also attach different files. To revise a layout, access the Portfolio Templates tool and follow these steps:

1. If the Portfolio Templates home page is not displayed, click the Reset button.
2. Click the Revise link below the name of the template you want to change. Sakai displays the Revise Portfolio Template, Step 1 of 4, screen.
3. Proceed from screen to screen, changing entries as needed. For more information and instructions, see "Creating a Template".

Copying a Template

To create a template that is similar to an existing template, you may want to copy the existing template and make changes to the copy. To copy a template, access the Portfolio Templates tool and follow these steps:

1. If the Portfolio Templates home page is not displayed, click the Reset button.
2. Find the template you want to use and click the Copy link below its name. Sakai copies the template and displays its name in the list.

The name of the new template is the same as that of the original, with the word "copy" added at the end.

Exporting and Importing a Template

If you own more than one site, you may want to use the same template in two or more of them. To do so, first export the template to your desktop as a compressed file first and then import it to the other site(s) where you plan to use it.

Exporting a Template

To export a template as a compressed file, access the Portfolio Templates tool on the appropriate site and follow these steps:

1. If the Portfolio Templates home page is not displayed, click the Reset button.
2. Find the template you want to work with and click the Export link below its name. Sakai displays the Opening File window.
3. Follow the instructions. The compressed file will be exported to your desktop.

Importing a Template

To import a compressed template file from your desktop to a Sakai site, access the site to which you want to import it and follow these steps:

1. Add the file to Resources.
2. Access the Portfolio Templates tool. If the home page is not displayed, click the Reset button.
3. Click the Import link on the Portfolio Templates menu bar near the top of the screen. Sakai displays the Import Template screen.
4. Click the Select file link. Sakai displays the selected Item.
5. Select the compressed file for the template by following the instructions for selecting an item. After you click Finish, Sakai displays the Import Template screen again. The name of the file you chose is shown in the Template File box.
6. To import the file, click Import Template. Sakai imports the file and displays the Portfolio Templates home page. The imported template is listed there. Or, to return to the home page without importing the file, click Cancel.

Deleting a Template

You may delete a template only if it is not being used in any portfolios (published or unpublished). If the template is in use, you must delete the portfolios based on it before you can delete the template, itself.

To delete a template, access the Portfolio Templates tool and follow these steps:

1. If the Portfolio Templates home page is not displayed, click the Reset button.
2. Find the template you want to remove and click the Delete link below its name. Sakai displays a delete confirmation window.
3. To delete the template, click OK. Sakai deletes the template and displays the Portfolio Templates home page. Or, to return to the home page without deleting this template, click Cancel.

Changing Permissions

To change permissions for users in one or more roles, access the Portfolio Templates tool and follow these steps:

1. If the Portfolio Templates menu bar is not displayed, click the Reset button.
2. Click the Permissions button on the menu bar. Sakai displays the Permissions screen.
3. Referring to the table below, check boxes to select the appropriate permissions for all users in each role.

   Permission	Description
   copy	Users in this role may create new templates by copying existing templates.
   publish	Users in this role may publish templates for use by site participants.
   delete	Users in this role may delete templates.
   create	Users in this role may use the Portfolio Templates tool to create and import templates.
   edit	Users in this role may change templates.
   export	Users in this role may export a template to their desktops as a compressed file.

4. To save the permissions settings, click the Save button Sakai saves the settings and displays the Portfolio Templates home page. Or, to return to the home page without saving your changes, click Cancel.